0205-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 5 Feb 16, Friday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5. Horatian or Keatsian : ODIC
A Horatian Ode is an ode with a specific structure, designed to resemble the odes of the Roman poet, Horace.

The poet John Keats is famous for writing a whole series of beautiful odes. The most renowned are the so-called “1819 Odes”, a collection from the year 1819 that includes famous poems such as “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, “Ode to a Nightingale” and “Ode to Psyche”.

9. Clean freak of sitcomdom : UNGER
“The Odd Couple” is a play by the wonderfully talented Neil Simon first performed on Broadway, in 1965. This great play was adapted for the big screen in 1968, famously starring Jack Lemmon (as Felix Unger, the neat-freak) and Walter Matthau (as Oscar Madison, the slob). The success of the play and the film gave rise to an excellent television sitcom that ran from 1970-1975, starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. In 1985, Neil Simon even went so far as to adapt the play for an all-female cast, renaming it “The Female Odd Couple”. I’d like to see that one …

15. Dance that might give you a lift? : HORA
The hora is a circle dance that originated in the Balkans. It was brought to Israel by Romanian settlers, and is often performed to traditional, Israeli folk songs. The hora (also horah) is a regular sight at Jewish weddings. Sometimes the honoree at an event is raised on a chair during the hora.

16. Campbell on a catwalk : NAOMI
Naomi Campbell is a supermodel from England. There’s a lot of interest in Campbell’s life off the runway, as she is known to have an explosive temper and has been charged with assault more than once. Her dating life is much-covered in the tabloids as well, and she has been romantically linked in the past with Mike Tyson and Robert De Niro.

20. Fortune 100 company whose name starts with a silent letter : AETNA
When the health care management and insurance company known as Aetna was founded, the name was chosen to evoke images of Mt. Etna, the European volcano.

21. Part of le Parlement français : SENAT
The French parliament (Parlement français) is divided into the Senate (Sénat) and the National Assembly (Assemblée nationale).

23. Chicago exchange, in brief : MERC
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange started its life as the Chicago Butter and Egg Board in 1898. The Merc is the site for exchange of commodities, among other things.

25. First name on a B-29 : ENOLA
The Enola Gay was the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb, on Hiroshima in August 1945. Enola Gay was the name of the mother of pilot Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.

27. Jonathan Swift satire : A MODEST PROPOSAL
Jonathan Swift’s 1729 satirical essay that is usually known as “A Modest Proposal”, actually has a longer name. That would be “A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick”. Swift suggest in the piece that poor Irish people might sell their children as food for rich gentlemen and ladies in order to make some money.

34. Frank narrative : DIARY
Anne Frank has to be one of the most famous victims of the Holocaust. This is largely because the story of this young girl lives on in her widely published diary, and in adaptations of the diary for stage and screen. Anne Frank was a German until she lost her nationality in 1941 when the Nazis came to power. By this time she was living with her family in Amsterdam, as the Franks chose to flee Germany in 1933. When the Germans occupied the Netherlands, the family went into hiding in the attic of Otto Frank’s office building (Otto was Anne’s father). There the family hid for two whole years until they were betrayed. The family was split up, and Anne and her sister died from typhus in a concentration camp in 1945.

35. Balloon-carried probe : SONDE
A sonde is a probe that is sent into the upper atmosphere to make physical observations. “Sonde” is the French word for “sound”, so the idea is that one is “sounding” the atmosphere.

40. Zip : NADA
The word “nothing” translates to “nada” in Spanish.

The use of the words “zip” and “zippo” to mean “nothing” dates back to the early 1900s when it was student slang for being graded zero on a test.

41. System in which 33 and 63 are “!” and “?” : ASCII
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) lists codes for 32 “control” characters, as well as the 95 printable characters. These binary codes are the way that our computers can understand what we mean when we type say a letter, or a number. Unicode is a more contemporary standard, and is like “Ascii on steroids”, encompassing more characters.

43. Southern alma mater of Newt Gingrich : EMORY
Emory is a private school in Atlanta, Georgia with a focus on graduate research. The school was named after a Methodist Episcopal bishop called John Emory, who was very popular at the time of the school’s founding in 1836.

The literal translation for the Latin term “alma mater” is “nourishing mother”. “Alma mater” was used in Ancient Rome to refer to mother goddesses, and in Medieval Christianity the term was used to refer to the Virgin Mary. Nowadays, one’s alma mater is the school one attended, either high school or college, usually one’s last place of education.

Newt … what a name! Newt Gingrich was born Newton Leroy McPherson in 1943, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Newt’s mother remarried when he was very young and his new father, Robert Gingrich, adopted Newt giving him the Gingrich name.

46. Actress who starred in “The Fault in Our Stars,” 2014 : SHAILENE WOODLEY
Shailene Woodley is the actress who plays Tris Prior, the main protagonist in “The Divergent Series” of movies.

“The Fault in Our Stars” is a 2014 film based on a novel of the same by John Green. Both film and novel are about two teenage cancer patients who fall in love with each other. The leads are played by Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort.

49. Snack brand since 1967 : NILLA
As one might expect, “Nilla” is a shortened from of “vanilla”. However, you won’t find any vanilla in Nilla cookies or wafers. They have always been flavored with vanillin, which is synthetic vanilla. Is nothing sacred …?

50. Luau staples, for short : UKES
The ukulele (“uke”) originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

The Hawaiian party or feast known as a “luau” really dates back to 1819, when King Kamehameha II removed religious laws that governed the eating of meals. These laws called for women and men to eat separately. At the same times as he changed the laws, the king initiated the luau tradition by symbolically eating with the women who moved in his circle.

51. Threepio’s first master : ANI
Anakin “Ani” Skywalker is the principal character in all six of the “Star Wars” movies. His progress chronologically through the series of films is:

– Episode I: Anakin is a 9-year-old slave boy who earns the promise of Jedi training by young Obi-Wan Kenobi.
– Episode II: Anakin is 18-years-old and goes on a murdering rampage to avenge the killing of his mother.
– Episode III: Anakin is 21-years-old and a Jedi knight, but he turns to the Dark Side and becomes Darth Vader. His wife Padme gives birth to twins, Luke and Leia Skywalker.
– Episode IV: Darth Vader, comes into conflict with his children, Luke Skywalker and the Princess Leia.
– Episode V: Darth Vader attempts to coax his son Luke over to the dark side, and reveals to Luke that he is his father.
– Episode VI: Luke learns that Leia is his sister, and takes on the task of bringing Darth Vader back from the Dark Side in order to save the Galaxy. Vader saves his son from the Emperor’s evil grip, dying in the process, but his spirit ends up alongside the spirits of Yoda and Obi-Wan. They all live happily ever after …

C-3PO, or “Threepio”, is the protocol droid that appears in all six “Star Wars” movies.

53. Some cat sounds? : BEBOP
The jazz term “bebop” probably came from “Arriba! Arriba!”, words of encouragement from Latin American bandleaders to their musicians.

59. 2012 Best Actress nominee for “Zero Dark Thirty” : JESSICA CHASTAIN
The actress Jessica Chastain probably garnered most attention for playing the female lead in the 2012 film “Zero Dark Thirty”. She also appeared in the hit movies “Interstellar” and “The Martian”.

“Zero Dark Thirty” is a film directed by Kathryn Bigelow that tells of the long but ultimately successful hunt for Osama bin Laden. I found one aspect of this film to be particularly uplifting, namely the central role played by a remarkable CIA officer who was a woman operating against the odds in a man’s world.

62. Opposite of afore : ABAFT
On a boat the term “abaft” means “towards the stern”.

64. Shade similar to camel : ECRU
The shade called ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word “ecru” comes from French and means “raw, unbleached”. “Ecru” has the same roots as our word “crude”.

65. Classic car company co-founder : ROYCE
Henry Royce founded the Rolls-Royce company in 1904 with his partner, Charles Rolls. Royce died at 70 years of age in 1933. His last words were, reportedly, “I wish I had spent more time in the office …”

66. City on der Rhein : KOLN
Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany, and is known as “Koln” in German.

Down
5. Sister brand of Alpha-Bits : OH’S
There used to be two varieties of Oh’s made by Quaker Oats Company. One was Honey Nut Oh’s, later known as Crunchy Nut Oh’s, but it was phased out. The second type was called Crunchy Graham Oh’s, and it is still available today as Honey Graham Oh’s.

Alpha-Bits is a Post breakfast cereal that is made from bits of corn cereal in alphabet shapes.

7. “Of wrath,” in a hymn title : IRAE
“Dies Irae” is Latin for “Day of Wrath”. It is the name of a famous melody in Gregorian Chant, one that is often used as part of the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass.

8. John Steinbeck novel : CANNERY ROW
“Cannery Row” is a novel by John Steinbeck that was first published in 1945. The title refers to the street in Monterey, California known as Cannery Row that is home to now-defunct sardine canning factories. Back in 1945 the street was called Ocean View Avenue, but it was renamed in 1958 in recognition of the Steinbeck novel.

10. Shetlands turndown : NAE
“Nae” is the Scottish vernacular for “no”.

The Shetland Islands in Scotland have given their name to a few breeds of animals, including Shetland cattle, Shetland ponies, Shetland sheep, Shetland sheepdogs and Shetland geese. The Shetlands lie about 110 miles northeast of the Scottish mainland.

12. They might work at a revival, for short : EMTS
Emergency medical technician (EMT)

19. “Hawaii Five-O” nickname : DANO
“Five-O” has become urban slang for a police officer, or the police force in general. The term of course is rooted in the 1970s TV Show “Hawaii Five-O”. Hawaii Five-O was a totally fictional police force created for the television show. The name recognizes that Hawaii was the 50th state to join the union. Steve McGarrett in the original show was played by Jack Lord, and “Danno” Williams was played by James MacArthur.

24. Collectors of DNA, prints, etc. : CSIS
Crime scene investigator (CSI)

26. Avian symbol of Ontario : LOON
The bird known as a loon here in North America is called a diver in the British Isles. The name “diver” comes from the bird’s habit of swimming calmly and then suddenly diving below the surface to catch a fish. The name “loon” comes from an Old English word meaning “clumsy” and reflects the awkward gait of the bird when walking on land.

27. Grp. behind the Oscars : AMPAS
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is the organization that gives the annual Academy Awards also known as the “Oscars”. The root of the name “Oscar” is hotly debated, but what is agreed is that the award was officially named “Oscar” in 1939. The first Academy Awards were presented at a brunch in 1929 with an audience of just 29 people. The Awards ceremony is a slightly bigger event these days …

29. Nonplussed : TAKEN ABACK
“To nonplus” is to perplex completely. The idea is that one becomes so perplexed that “no more” can be said. “Non plus” is Latin from “no more”.

30. Amazon offering : PRIME
Amazon Prime is a membership service that Amazon introduced in 2005. From my perspective, the main features coming with Amazon Prime are free two-day shipping and a large collection of free movies and TV shows.

37. Number on a grandfather clock : VIII
There are several sizes of “longcase clocks”, tall, freestanding clocks driven by a pendulum swinging inside a tower below the clock face. A longcase clock over 6 feet tall is called a grandfather, and one below five feet is a granddaughter, One that falls between five and six feet is known as a grandmother. The name of the clock derives from an 1876 song called “My Grandfather’s Clock”.

39. Drop ___ : TROU
“Trou” is short for “trousers”.

44. They join teams : YOKES
A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of oxen so that they are forced to work together.

48. Role for which Michael C. Hall got five straight Emmy nominations : DEXTER
“Dexter” is a crime show that airs on Showtime. The title character works for the Miami Police Department as an expert in blood spatter patterns by day, but is a serial killer by night. The original series was based on the “Dexter” novels written by Jeff Lindsay. I haven’t seen this show myself, but my eldest son really enjoys it …

51. Cracked : AJAR
Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.

52. Mount near the Dead Sea : NEBO
Mount Nebo is an elevated spot in Jordan that is mentioned in the Bible. According to the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab in order to see the Promised Land, the Land of Israel that he was destined never to enter. According to Christian and some Islamic traditions, Moses was buried on Mount Nebo.

The Dead Sea is a salt lake that lies over 1,000 feet below sea level in the Middle East. It is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world, with a salt content that is almost ten times that of most oceans.

55. Doctor seen by millions : PHIL
Dr. Phil (McGraw) met Oprah Winfrey when he was hired to work with her as a legal consultant during the Amarillo Texas beef trial (when the industry sued Oprah for libel over “Mad Cow Disease” statements). Oprah was impressed with Dr. Phil and invited him onto her show, and we haven’t stopped seeing him since!

57. Hauteur : AIRS
“Hauteur” is a French word meaning “haughtiness” that we have imported into English. “Haut” is French for “high, lofty”.

60. U.S. Army E-7 : SFC
Sergeant First Class (SFC)

61. “___ Vickers,” Sinclair Lewis novel : ANN
“Ann Vickers” is a novel by Sinclair Lewis, first published in 1933. That same year, “Ann Vickers” was adapted into a movie with Irene Dunne in the title role.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Stare in astonishment : GAWP
5. Horatian or Keatsian : ODIC
9. Clean freak of sitcomdom : UNGER
14. Long : ACHE
15. Dance that might give you a lift? : HORA
16. Campbell on a catwalk : NAOMI
17. Setting for fans : GRANDSTAND SEATS
20. Fortune 100 company whose name starts with a silent letter : AETNA
21. Part of le Parlement français : SENAT
22. Judgmental sound : TSK
23. Chicago exchange, in brief : MERC
25. First name on a B-29 : ENOLA
27. Jonathan Swift satire : A MODEST PROPOSAL
33. Dent or crack : MAR
34. Frank narrative : DIARY
35. Balloon-carried probe : SONDE
36. Prior: Abbr. : PREV
38. Circumvent : SKIRT
40. Zip : NADA
41. System in which 33 and 63 are “!” and “?” : ASCII
43. Southern alma mater of Newt Gingrich : EMORY
45. Category : ILK
46. Actress who starred in “The Fault in Our Stars,” 2014 : SHAILENE WOODLEY
49. Snack brand since 1967 : NILLA
50. Luau staples, for short : UKES
51. Threepio’s first master : ANI
53. Some cat sounds? : BEBOP
56. Certain absentee voter, for short : EXPAT
59. 2012 Best Actress nominee for “Zero Dark Thirty” : JESSICA CHASTAIN
62. Opposite of afore : ABAFT
63. With 67-Across, attachment to a string instrument : CHIN
64. Shade similar to camel : ECRU
65. Classic car company co-founder : ROYCE
66. City on der Rhein : KOLN
67. See 63-Across : REST

Down
1. Mad : GAGA
2. Plot piece : ACRE
3. Question upon completing an argument : WHAT MORE CAN I SAY?
4. Like many farm animals : PENNED
5. Sister brand of Alpha-Bits : OH’S
6. Sleuths connect them : DOTS
7. “Of wrath,” in a hymn title : IRAE
8. John Steinbeck novel : CANNERY ROW
9. De-clogs : UNSTOPS
10. Shetlands turndown : NAE
11. Crawl : GO AT A SNAIL’S PACE
12. They might work at a revival, for short : EMTS
13. Chance : RISK
18. Took a 13-Down : DARED
19. “Hawaii Five-O” nickname : DANO
24. Collectors of DNA, prints, etc. : CSIS
26. Avian symbol of Ontario : LOON
27. Grp. behind the Oscars : AMPAS
28. Reed section? : MARSH
29. Nonplussed : TAKEN ABACK
30. Amazon offering : PRIME
31. Nonplus : ADDLE
32. Unsafe, as a boat : LEAKY
37. Number on a grandfather clock : VIII
39. Drop ___ : TROU
42. “It’s probably a trick, but tell me” : I’LL BITE
44. They join teams : YOKES
47. Wire transfer?: Abbr. : ELEC
48. Role for which Michael C. Hall got five straight Emmy nominations : DEXTER
51. Cracked : AJAR
52. Mount near the Dead Sea : NEBO
54. 37-Down, to Diego : OCHO
55. Doctor seen by millions : PHIL
57. Hauteur : AIRS
58. Hardware bit : T-NUT
60. U.S. Army E-7 : SFC
61. “___ Vickers,” Sinclair Lewis novel : ANN

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